About the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show

When the Global Down Syndrome Foundation launched its first annual fundraiser to support the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show, many questioned the format and the economic viability.

To be fair, the idea of having a professional fashion show featuring people with Down syndrome was a new one in Colorado, as it would be in most parts of the world. With the help of our International Spokesperson Quincy Jones and our Ambassadors and their families, the Foundation’s first fashion show went off like a dream. The 1200-strong audience was impressed and truly inspired by the beauty and brilliance of our models.

Jamie Foxx is one of many celebrity supporters

Today, the annual Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show is the largest fundraiser for Down syndrome in the nation attracting over 1200 guests each year. It has raised over $7,600,000 for Down syndrome research, medical care, advocacy and education. Equally important, it has raised major awareness regarding the shocking disparity of funding for people with Down syndrome, while successfully emphasizing their abilities.

In 2011, the Global Down Syndrome Foundation made the important decision to launch a similar fundraiser and awareness builder in Washington DC, the Global Down Syndrome Foundation Gala – Be Beautiful Be Yourself.

The Global Down Syndrome Foundation staff works tirelessly to ensure that the fundraiser is equal parts fundraising and awareness building. But we cannot do this alone and we need your help to ensure the continued success of our events.

2010 Kick Off Party

We would very much appreciate your help in the following form(s):

Every year in July or August, we hold model auditions for the fashion show. More and more models are auditioning from out of state, and we encourage this. It is important to note that not everyone is chosen to be a model, but we make sure that the audition itself is loads of fun, and that people who do not get in one year are given extra consideration the next year.

As a reminder that people with Down syndrome are part of a larger community of people with other developmental disabilities facing similar human and civil rights challenges, each year the Global Down Syndrome selects several models with a developmental disability other than Down syndrome.